The present invention relates generally to discharge cone assemblies, and specifically to discharge cone assemblies for the discharge end of rotary grinding mills or the like.
It is well known that the discharge end of a rotary grinding mill or the like, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,882, is subjected to extreme abrasive wear due to the ground material passing therethrough. Discharge diaphragm assemblies formed of discharge castings, grates, and wear plates, as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,882, are used in grinding mills in an attempt to maximize the useful lives of the mills. However, it is necessary to form the discharge diaphragm assemblies out of very expensive material such as Ni-Hard iron. Furthermore, the discharge diaphragm assembly of the prior art, after being worn by the ground material had to be removed and replaced piece by piece, which is expensive in both labor and also down time in that the grinding mill cannot be operated for significant periods during replacement of the discharge diaphragm assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,560, by the present inventor, provides a replaceable liner for insertion into the discharge castings of existing mills. Such replaceable liners can be inexpensively replaced with substantial savings in labor and down time and also allow the discharge diaphragm assemblies to be made of less costly material.
However, the discharge cones of rotary grinding mills are yet subjected to excessive wear. Thus, a need yet exists for an improved discharge cone assembly which allows replacement of the excessive wear locations with reduced expenditure of labor and down time, which has a longer wear life than discharge cones of the prior art, and which is not prone to allowing ground material escape back into the mill and thus decrease the mill efficiency.